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以下是陳日君樞機六月二十日出席加拿大魁北克聖體大會時的講道 |
Dear friends, It might not be out of place if I give you some of my personal background. My father was converted and baptized, when he was a student at college, by a Canadian missionary. This Canadian missionary taught him to love the Eucharist so much that he used to go to Mass every day and he brought me with him as soon I have learned to walk. It is for me a special honor and joy to lead the meditation with you here today, during this Eucharistic Congress, on the topic "Eucharist and Mission". In the Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Charitatis, the Holy Father Benedict XVI refers to what he said in his encyclical Deus charitas est: "Nothing is better than the Gospel and the encounter with Christ; nothing is better than to know him and to share his friendship with others". Then he applied these same words to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, saying: "We cannot keep to ourselves this love which we celebrate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice". A truly Eucharistic Church is necessarily a missionary Church. First, let me make a preliminary clarifying remark: The Eucharist is a mystery of faith, but it opens out to unbelievers. "Mysterium fidei" is the solemn acclamation we proclaim when the bread is changed into the Body of Christ and the wine turned into his Blood. This reminds us of another acclamation: "Sancta sanctis", when people were reminded of the exclusive right of believers, of disciples sanctified by baptism, to receive the most sacred Body and Blood of the Lord. The acclamation was also meant to be a warning not to give the Eucharist to those not initiated. Sure, the reception of the Sacrament requires faith and is not allowed to those who still do not know the truth of the faith. But let us listen to the final acclamation of the Mass: "Ite, missa est", which is the sending of the disciples to bring the Gospel to the world. This is the great convocation to assemble the whole humankind into the Church, the family of God. It is the great invitation to join in the eschatological banquet. The Eucharist, so, is of the faithful, but for the world. The necessary connection between Eucharist and Mission is an obvious conclusion from what you have meditated abundantly during these days: - The Eucharist builds the Church - The Eucharist establishes the New and Eternal Covenant. The Eucharist builds the Church The people of Israel gathered, family by family, to eat the paschal meal, standing, with a girdle round their waist, sandals on their feet, and a staff in their hand, ready to start the long journey of deliverance from slavery. The new paschal meal in the upper room sends the pusillus grex into the world. The new caravan would, along the journey, gather all the peoples of the world and march towards the heavenly Jerusalem. The Eucharist builds the Church because it is the Sacrifice of the Cross which delivers us from sin. The Body is given up and the Blood is shed for the multitude. And even historically we can see the Church being built when we see the Eucharist celebrated in the upper room, in the individual houses of the primitive Church, in the Catacombs, and in the Roman Basilicas; then, through the missionaries, in the small chapels in every corner of Asia and Africa; and, finally, at the Eucharistic Congresses in various parts of the world, like today here in this beautiful city of Quebec. Before the ramification into the seven sacraments, the Eucharist builds the Church as Sacrament, i.e. as a sign and instrument to achieve the union between God and human beings, and the unity of humankind. The Eucharist establishes the New and Eternal Covenant The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives a special importance to the covenant between God and Noah, because it was a covenant with the whole human family, anterior to the temporary restriction of the covenant with Israel. The new and eternal, definitive covenant, is again universal for the whole humankind. Jesus said: "When I will be lifted up, I will draw everybody to myself". The Eucharist is not for a closed circle. Our Church must have doors and windows open, the windows open to let the message out and the doors open to invite people in. When we sing "Gloria in excelsis Deo", we re-enact the mystery of the Nativity, we invite the Anawim of the modern world to the manger. When we sing "Agnus Dei", we invoke the mercy of God also for those who ignore their sinful condition. Now, I want to emphasize one point of actuality: Universal Salvation and Mission Since Vatican II, the Church is more aware of the mystery of universal salvation. Gaudium et Spes says that God has his ways to save everybody which we may not know, but we know that he wants and is able to save everyone. The wrong conclusion from this consoling truth would be that we need no more to engage in the missionary endeavor. Now, God has his ways to save everyone, but he makes it clear that the most common and desired way is that those who have first received the faith be instruments of its transmission. We should not despair of those who seem not to know God and Jesus, but how much more hope we can entertain for those who come into the whole truth of faith. The Eucharist is the bread of truth, the truth of love. God has so loved us that he gave his life for our redemption and he has given his Body as food, so that we may live and live abundantly. "Lord, you have made us for yourself; and our heart is restless until it rests in you". Many people are still far from the centre where they can rest. People run after money, power, and all kinds of gratification, which leave their hearts emptier than ever. God sometimes wakes us up the hard way. In the terrible bewilderment caused by the recent disastrous earthquake in Sichuan, China, people, all of a sudden, discovered that the most precious values are human life, family affection, and universal brotherhood. The leaders of our Nation in Beijing led the way in the re-discovery of these values, thus opening our heart to the hope for a new China. But many questions remain unanswered and they can be repeated also for all the other calamities, like the one that struck Myanmar. Why the loss of so many innocent lives? Only the faith tells us that they have not been lost. The innocent victims are being received into the bosom of a loving Father. This was the happy surprise they found at the moment of their death. Where was God in these calamities which struck hundreds of thousands of people? Jesus was there, under the debris, in the darkness, in the pain, in the despair. He was with each of the victims. He was in them, making them worthy of completing what was lacking in his sufferings. Faced with such calamities, people without faith may protest against God. We should not be scandalized by this. Their protests are actually invocations offered to God whom they, unfortunately, still do not know. Their protests are also invocations offered to us, so that we may bring to as many people as possible the good news of a loving Father in heaven, the only true and efficacious consolation in any circumstances of human existence. The conclusion: Eucharist and Mission While we adore the Sacrament of our redemption and we give thanks for the gift of faith, we accept the invitation of the Lord to be messengers of the truth of his boundless love. After all I have said I realize that in today's readings a more comprehensive meaning is given to the word "mission". It refers not only to direct evangelization, it includes the promotion of evangelical values, justice, social concern, love and peace. Now, to evangelize is to plant the tree, and the flowers and fruits come naturally. Similiarily, promoting justice and love makes the evangelization more fruitful and efficacious. So, let us get on to the hard work: with the help of the Blessed Virgin, to bring to the world the Good News and to build a new world on the foundation of the evangelical values of justice and love.
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